Department for Transport

Vauxhall

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances he has received from Vauxhall that all owners of Zafira B models were informed about the changes to the vehicle safety recall relating to those cars.

Andrew Jones: To address the latest reported fires, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency told Vauxhall that a secondary safety recall (R/2016/104) was needed on Vauxhall Zafira B models equipped with manual control heating and ventilation systems. Under the requirements of the Code of Practice on vehicle safety defects and the General Product Safety Regulations, manufacturers are required to inform owners/keepers of vehicles that are affected by a vehicle safety recall of the risk and what action they are conducting to address the issue.

Vauxhall

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the independent testing of Vauxhall Zafiras meets the aims set out for that independent testing.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working closely with Vauxhall to ensure it discharges its responsibility to conduct investigations into the cause of any vehicle safety defects, as set out in the Code of Practice on Vehicle Safety Defects.

Renewable Fuels

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve investor confidence in the production of (a) renewable fuel in general and (b) sustainable aircraft fuel.

Andrew Jones: Sustainable fuels have an important role to play in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation, such as aviation. The Transport Energy Task Force which reported in March 2015 brought together a broad stakeholder group to provide expertise to support the Department for Transport in identifying and assessing options to decarbonise transport energy. The Task Force explored the potential for consensus amongst stakeholders on the role transport energy could play and how this could be delivered, including steps to improve investor confidence in the production of sustainable renewable transport fuels, and a specific aviation biofuels focus. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certification scheme is the UK’s primary mechanism to incentivise the use of sustainable renewable fuels in road transport. Following the Transport Energy Task Force report, we have been working on proposals designed to enable us to set a clear long term pathway for the use of sustainable renewable transport fuels in the UK. In particular, we are assessing the benefits of making sustainable aviation fuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to publish a consultation on legislative amendments to the RTFO later this year. In addition, in September 2015 the Department for Transport’s Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition, aimed at kick-starting a domestic advanced biofuels industry, awarded £25m of matched capital grant funding to build three sustainable biofuel plants in the UK.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he, Ministers or officials of his Department have had with Govia Thameslink Railway on indemnifying Govia Thameslink Railway from losses incurred as a result of industrial action; and what the dates and outcomes of those discussions were.

Claire Perry: The Franchise Agreement does not provide any indemnity to Govia Thameslink Railway for any such losses incurred as a result of Industrial Action, and no discussions have taken place.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent Public Performance Measure figures are which have been reported by Govia Thameslink Railway.

Claire Perry: The latest figures are published by the operator at:http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/performance-results/

Railways: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to improve the rail network and services between London and Stafford.

Claire Perry: As part of the Rail Investment Strategy, Network Rail has delivered a package of major infrastructure improvements in the Stafford area. This includes the grade separation of Norton Bridge junction – which was been brought into use almost 12 months early this May – and has created additional capacity for services on the West Coast Main Line. Rail services between Stafford and London are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast earlier this month. The outcomes of those consultations will be published in due course. Looking to the future, HS2 will deliver high-speed services between London and Stafford from 2026.

Roads: Rural Areas

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to assist local authorities with the maintenance of rural roads.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport is providing local highway authorities in England, outside London, with over £6.1 billion for highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. This includes an additional £250 million for a Pothole Action Fund. It is for highway authorities to determine how this funding is utilised based on their needs and priorities and can include maintenance of rural roads.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the most recent Public Performance Measure figures reported by Govia Thameslink Railway put Govia Thameslink Railway in breach of its Remedial Plan.

Claire Perry: The Public Performance Measure figure does not put Govia Thameslink Railway in breach of their Remedial Plan. The Franchise Agreement does not include the Public Performance Measure as one of the benchmarks against which their performance is measured. The Department for Transport (DfT) performance benchmarks for Govia Thameslink Railway are for Delay minutes and Cancellations for which GTR are responsible, and Peak Short formation, as specified under Schedule 7.1 of the Franchise Agreement: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf.

Electric Vehicles: Sales

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much information his Department holds on how many electric motorcycles have been sold in the UK in each of the last three years.

Andrew Jones: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency statistics on electric motorcycles which were new registrations sold in the UK in each of the last three years are detailed in the table below: YearTotal201336201453201591  The Department for Transport and its agencies do not hold any data for second hand sales.

Road Traffic: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many traffic surveys and counts his Department has conducted in Stafford constituency since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport (DfT) has conducted the following numbers of manual traffic counts within the area covered by Stafford constituency in each year since 2010. 2010 9 counts2011 9 counts2012 10 counts2013 11 counts2014 5 counts2015 5 counts These counts are carried out for the purpose of producing DfT’s statistics on traffic. They are conducted by observing traffic at designated locations and consequently have no impact on the traffic flows.

M20

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department is making on the procurement and appointment process for the construction of a new lorry park around junction 11 on the M20.

Andrew Jones: Highways England have appointed Mott MacDonald Sweco JV as designers and awarded the contract for the potential construction of a lorry area on the M20 to Balfour Beatty. Following the recent consultation, the Secretary of State will make an announcement on the decision on the preferred site in the summer 2016. Awarding the construction contract early will ensure that Highways England is in the best position to enable the earliest possible start of construction, following the announcement on the decision on the preferred site by the Secretary of State.

Road Traffic: South East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking on steps to find a long-term solution for congestion in the South East.

Andrew Jones: The Government is committed to alleviating congestion in the South East and is providing £15.2 billion between 2015 and 2021 to invest in our strategic road network. This is the biggest upgrade to our motorways and A roads for a generation, and it is adding capacity and tackling congestion. Of this total, about £2.2 billion is being invested in the South East and includes tackling congestion on key parts of the network such as the M25. On local roads we have set up the £12 billion Local Growth Fund to 2021 which has enabled Local Authorities through the Local Enterprise Partnerships to identify and secure funding for projects to enable among other things, local road improvements and sustainable local transport projects. This is on top of over £6 billion through to 2021 to councils in England to help maintain their local roads and repair potholes. This funding includes more than £143 million for the South East in 2016/17, and over £777 million up to 2021. In addition, our investment in railways contributes to the Government’s overall transport vision by facilitating, amongst other things, congestion relief on our road network. As part of our Rail Investment Strategy, the Government is investing over £700 million on infrastructure in the most congested routes in London and the South East between 2014-2019, in addition to delivering the Crossrail and Thameslink Programmes to transform east-west and north-south travel across the region.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railway on the closure of Govia Thameslink Railway ticket offices; and what the dates of those discussions were.

Claire Perry: Officials regularly meet with Govia Thameslink Railway, and their Ticket Office proposals have been discussed.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railway on the closure of Govia Thameslink Railway ticket offices; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

Claire Perry: Officials regularly meet with Govia Thameslink Railway, and their Ticket Office proposals have been discussed. In relation to their Ticket Office proposals, as long as the operator is not breaching the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement with regard to opening hours, employee terms and conditions and the management of any changes in these are a matter for the relevant employer and their employee(s) and/or employee representatives.

Railways: Tickets

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the definition of ticket office is for the purposes of Schedule 17 ticketing arrangements.

Claire Perry: Ticket Office is defined within the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement (TSA), http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/files/RSPDocuments/TSA%20V9_4%20-%20Main%20Agreement%20(Volume%201).pdf, as a place within a station at which fares are generally sold in person by or on behalf of an operator. The opening hours and product range of Ticket Offices are specified in Schedule 17 of the TSA.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions can be applied in the event of a breach by Govia Thameslink Railway of its remedial plan.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions his Department can apply on Govia Thameslink Railway for being in breach of its remedial plan.

Claire Perry: The “Enforcement Policy: Rail Franchise Agreements and Closures” sets out what actions can be taken; a copy of this is attached.



Enforcement Policy document
(PDF Document, 6.71 MB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote religious freedom in Saudi Arabia; and what recent representations the Government has made to Saudi Arabia on that matter.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We strongly support the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which is restricted in Saudi Arabia, reflecting views which are widely held in Saudi society. The authorities are encouraging reforms at a pace that is acceptable to Saudi society. This includes allowing foreign workers in Saudi Arabia to practice religions other than Islam in private.We regularly raise human rights issues, including in relation to the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, with the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Directors: Disclosure of Information

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason Companies House publishes the month and year of birth of company directors.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 25 May 2016



The Government considers that the date of birth of company directors is an important identifier for those searching the public companies register as it allows searchers to distinguish between individuals with the same, or similar, names. Following feedback from company directors about the availability of their full date of birth on the public register, section 96 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires the Registrar of Companies to suppress the “day” element of a director’s date of birth. This strikes an appropriate balance between ensuring that the information on the public register is of real practical use and reducing the risk that the information becomes a tool for abuse by exposing individuals to the risk of identity theft or fraud.

Members: Correspondence

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he will reply to the letter of 18 April 2016 on the closure of a Crown Post Office in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency; and if he will meet with the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green to discuss that matter.

George Freeman: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



A reply has been sent from my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to the hon Member.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number and value of arms export licences issued to Saudi Arabia since 19 March 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



Information on arms export licences are published as Official Statistics in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at GOV.UK. The most recently published information covers the period to 31 December 2015. Information covering 1 January to 31 March 2016 will be published on 19 July 2016 and information covering 1 April to 30 June 2016 will be published on 19 October 2016. All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Public Service: Corruption

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take in response to the leaked documents relating to the operations of Mossack Fonseca to ensure that foreign officials and politicians (a) in general and (b) from Pakistan who own property in the UK do not use such property to hide their assets.

Anna Soubry: At the International Anti-Corruption Summit in London on 12 May, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that we will require foreign companies that own or purchase UK properties or bid on UK Government procurement contracts to provide details of their beneficial owners to a public central register. This will be the first register of its kind in the world.Additionally as of 6 April this year all UK companies have been required to hold a register of people with significant control over their company. This applies to all UK companies regardless of whether they own property.These two registers combined will ensure that individuals will not be able to hide behind corporate structures to obscure their ownership of property or UK companies.It is important to note that this work started before the release of the panama papers, with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister committing to create a register of people with significant control at the UK led G8 meeting in 2013, and the commitment to consider a new register of foreign companies that purchase property being made in July 2015.The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will consult with experts to develop the policy throughout the year and consult formally on the detail of the policy in due course. Implementation of the new register requirements is expected to require both primary and secondary legislation, which we intend to introduce when Parliamentary time allows.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Joseph Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016 to Question UIN 37198. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Trade Unions: Electronic Voting

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to section 4 of the Trade Union Act 2016, when he plans to commission an independent review of electronic balloting; and which organisations he plans to consult before preparing his response to that review.

Nick Boles: The Trade Union Act establishes that the Government will commission an independent review of electronic balloting in trade union industrial action ballots within six months of the passing of the Act, which received Royal Assent on 4 May 2016.The Government is currently considering the next steps before the launch of the independent review and will provide further details in due course.

Companies: Ownership

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what date in June 2016 the UK's public central register of company beneficial ownership will be launched.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



UK companies have been required to keep a record of their people with significant control since the 6th of April and will be required to report this information to Companies House from 30th June.

Apprentices: Taxation

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish a detailed timeline for the introduction of the apprenticeship levy to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to develop future apprentice and training plans.

Nick Boles: In April 2016 we published a guide for employers on how they will pay the levy, access the digital system and pay for apprenticeships in future.We have asked employers to tell us what information they need next and have already committed to publishing provisional funding rates and further funding information in June.

Apprentices: Taxation

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people who receive summer assessment results in September (a) 2017 and (b) 2018 will have improved prospects of securing an apprenticeship as a result of the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: The apprenticeship levy is part of a number of reforms to boost the quantity and quality of apprenticeships supporting our commitment of 3 million new apprenticeships in England by 2020. The levy will put apprenticeship funding in the hands of employers and will encourage them to invest in their apprentices and take on more.Employer-led reforms are making it more attractive for businesses to offer more apprenticeships. We are also setting new expectations for public sector bodies and through public procurement so that overall there will be more opportunities for young people to pursue good quality apprenticeships right up to degree level. Higher and degree apprenticeships are widening access to the professions, providing higher level technical skills employers need and giving young people an equally valid route as going to university.Our goal, through our current communication campaign launched in May, is for young people to see apprenticeships as high quality and prestigious paths to successful careers across all sectors and at all levels.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 28171, what rules will apply to use of the reading room for hon. Members for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; whether access will be limited to Members of both Houses; and when he plans to write to hon. Members to confirm how they can access and use those documents.

Anna Soubry: The next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will take place in July. The UK reading room will be open in time to access documents related to this round and will be accessible to Members of both Houses and Whitehall officials.Parliamentarians and officials will be required to respect EU rules governing the protection of classified TTIP documents made available in the reading room, which in practice means not sharing them or their contents with anyone who is not entitled to access the room.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what links firms bidding to run the Land Registry have to offshore tax havens.

Anna Soubry: A government consultation seeking views on options to move operations of Land Registry to the private sector closed on 26 May. Government is currently analysing the responses but no final decisions have been made. We have not received any bids.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will reconsider the proposal to privatise the Land Registry; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: A government consultation seeking views on options to move operations of the Land Registry to the private sector closed on 26 May. Government is currently considering the responses but no final decisions have been made.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the average hourly earnings were of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The tables below are the average hourly rates for all employees (Senior Civil Service and below within DFID). The not declared BAME figure includes: those declared as white; those who selected “prefer not to say”; and those who have not declared. However, I would note to the Hon. Member that such simple averages do not paint an accurate figure of our workforce and recruitment practices. DFID HCS StaffMarch 2015 Average Hourly EarningsMarch 2016 Average Hourly EarningsDeclared BAME£25.05£25.23Not Declared BAME£25.99£26.01 The Civil Service is changing, and our recruitment seeks to reflect the make-up and composition of our nation as a whole. Historically, BME staff were under-represented: both in terms of previous recruitment patterns and the number and proportion in higher grades, both of these factors have contributed to the differences in average salaries.We are making progress the proportion of BME staff in the Civil Service has risen from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2015, but we recognise that there is still more to do.In March, the Government published its 2016 Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service. It provides a progress update on initiatives to increase diversity in the Civil Service, including cross-Government talent programmes aimed at under-represented groups.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success

Department for Education

Vocational Guidance: Kent

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions the Careers and Enterprise Company has held with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership on improving careers information advice and guidance in secondary schoolher within Tonbridge and Malling constituency.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is continuing to make excellent progress towards transforming the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people. The South East Local Enterprise Partnership is one of 36 Local Enterprise Partnerships across England participating in the Enterprise Adviser Network (EAN). As of May 2016 the EAN has 60 Enterprise Coordinators and 400 Enterprise Advisers working with schools and colleges. As the CEC is an independent organisation and we do not hold detailed information about its discussions with other organisations, we suggest contacting the company directly for information on discussions it has held with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership. The CEC can be contacted at [emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */.

Children: Day Care

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review funding levels for the care of 2 year old children.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Prime Minister has committed publicly to an uplift in funding rates for early learning places, which includes an uplift in funding levels for two year olds who are eligible for 15 hours of free early learning each week. An announcement was made in the November 2015 Autumn Statement indicating that a generous uplift would be made in the funding that early years providers will receive from April 2017. As a result of this extra investment the new national average rates will increase from £4.56 to £4.88 for three and four year olds (including the Early Years Pupil Premium) and from £5.09 to £5.39 for two year olds. The new funding amounts to an additional £300 million per year from 2017-18.The government is committed to making funding for the early years fairer. That’s why the government conducted its Review of childcare costs: call for evidence consultation between 15 June 2015 and 10 August 2015, to determine a rate of funding that is sustainable for providers and delivers value for money to the taxpayer. The findings of this review provided the government with vital evidence which has helped to inform the proposed increase in funding rates from 2017/18. We will consult on the proposed new funding allocation system shortly.

Ministry of Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of steel used in the new Ajax armoured vehicles will be (a) sourced from the UK and (b) imported from abroad.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2016 to Question 25075 to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Mr Doughty). 



Warships Construction
(Word Document, 15.97 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the outcomes were of the universal credit in-work conditionality pilots.

Priti Patel: The In-work Progression Randomised Control Trial is rolling out nationally but not yet complete. We plan to have recruited the necessary 15,000 participants by Autumn 2016. We will then continue to support claimants for a further year in the trial, with findings in early 2018.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pollution: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the consequences of pollution levels in London; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce pollution in that city.

Rory Stewart: The UK is compliant with EU legislation for nearly all air pollutants but faces significant challenges in achieving nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limit values. The national air quality plan for NO2, published in December last year, sets out a comprehensive approach for meeting the air quality challenges by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones, along with the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London. The plan combines targeted local and national measures, forming part of a wider approach that exploits new and clean technologies, such as electric and ultra low emission vehicles. The Government has committed over £2 billion since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles, support green transport initiatives and support local authorities to take action. The Mayor is responsible for air quality standards in London. The Mayor provides the framework and guidance which London boroughs use to review and improve air quality in their areas. The new Mayor recently set out his plans to improve air quality in London.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the funding available to the Waste and Resources Action Programme in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The current 2016/17 grant agreement for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is £13m. Future year’s allocations have yet to be finalised.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister to PQ UIN 37198 on 25 May 2016.

Nature Conservation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy will be on supporting further protection through an uplisting of (a) elephants, (b) rhinos and (c) lions at the forthcoming CITES Conference of the Parties in September 2016.

Rory Stewart: Proposals on the listing protection of 60 species have been submitted to the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Uplisting proposals for elephants and lions will be discussed but there is no proposal on rhinoceroses, which are already generally subject to the highest level of protection. All these proposals will be assessed against the scientific criteria for listings set out in the Convention and, where justified, the UK will advocate further protection to support the survival of endangered species. This includes in negotiations with the other Member States of the EU to ensure our positions on proposals are taken into account before the final negotiating position for the EU and its Member States is agreed.

HM Treasury

Banks: Regulation

Gill Furniss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulation of banking sector.

Harriett Baldwin: Since 2010 the government has:legislated for the ring-fencing of large banks’ retail arms from their investment banking arms;ensured that the senior managers of banks are held accountable for their decisions; andput the Bank of England back in charge of bank prudential regulation. The IMF noted in its recent Article IV concluding statement that “owing to a large extent to a wave of welcome regulatory reforms since the crisis, the main parts of the UK financial system appear resilient”. The Government agrees with the IMF’s assessment.

Digital Technology: Corporation Tax

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of corporation tax receipts from the digital economy sector in 2015-16.

Mr David Gauke: We cannot make an estimate of the corporation tax receipts from the digital economy. During the international work on corporate tax avoidance in the digital economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agreed that the digital economy cannot be ringfenced for tax purposes. This is because it is becoming impossible to say what is and is not part of the digital economy, due to digital aspects permeating the economy as a whole.

Financial Services: Equal Pay

Ben Howlett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the gender pay gap in the financial services sector.

Harriett Baldwin: The gender pay gap is at a record low. New regulations require all firms with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay gaps. These regulations will increase transparency and accelerate progress, especially in sectors with large gender pay gaps such as financial services.In March, the government launched the Women in Finance Charter which asks financial services firms to implement recommendations from Jayne-Anne Gadhia’s review into the representation of senior women in financial services.

Tax Collection

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance he has given to HM Revenue and Customs on the use of powers in the Finance Act 2014 to issue accelerated payment notices for seeking retrospective tax payments.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has the power to seek upfront payment of disputed tax in certain avoidance cases.The legislation is not retrospective. It does not create any new tax liability; it simply alters where the tax sits while the liability is being disputed.The taxpayer can continue to dispute the case and will be repaid with interest should they win.At 31 March 2016 HMRC had issued over 46,000 accelerated payments notices, representing over £4.8bn of tax in dispute; and over £2.5bn had been received.

Exports

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase exports.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given in response to the member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun question on 7 June in Oral questions.

Taxation

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve tax transparency.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the Hon Member to the my earlier response to question 14 during Oral Questions.

Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people are not disproportionately affected by reductions in government expenditure.

Damian Hinds: The Government has protected the value of disability benefits, exempting these payments from the uprating freeze and exempting those in receipt of them from the benefit cap. Disability spending will be higher in every year to 2020 relative to both 2010 and to today.

Tax Avoidance

Stephen Phillips: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the Government's steps to tackle aggressive tax avoidance on the revenues derived from general taxation.

Mr David Gauke: During this Parliament, we have already announced that we will legislate for more than 25 measures to tackle avoidance and evasion, which are forecast to raise £16 billion by 2021. During the last Parliament, we made over 40 changes to tax law, closing down loopholes and introducing major reforms to the UK tax system. These were forecast to have raised £12 billion by 2016. During the last Parliament, as a result of actions to tackle tax evasion, tax avoidance, aggressive tax planning and non-compliance, HM Revenue and Customs secured around £100 billion in additional compliance revenue. This includes over £38 billion from big businesses and £1.2 billion extra from the UK’s richest people.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Chris Philp: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of personal injury whiplash claims.

Harriett Baldwin: Between 1 April 2013 and 6 April 2015 the coalition government implemented a substantial programme of reform to reduce and control costs, strengthen the medical evidence process and reduce incentives to pursue fraudulent and unnecessary whiplash claims.Despite that progress, the present government remains concerned about the number and cost of whiplash claims, which is why further reforms were announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November 2015. These new reforms will remove the right to compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity from minor whiplash injuries, and reduce legal costs by raising the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000. The government will consult on the detail of these reforms in due course, with a view to implementing them as soon as the necessary legislation is in place.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she discussed soil carbon targets when she met Miguel Arias Cañete, Climate Action and Energy Commissioner, at their meeting on 12 May 2016 on emissions targets not included in the Emissions Trading System.

Amber Rudd: My meeting on 12 May with Commissioner Cañete was one of a number we have had to discuss a wide range of EU Climate and Energy issues.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the Government plans to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2016.

Amber Rudd: The UK will ratify the Paris Agreement together with the EU and Member States as soon as possible. The Commission is planning to publish a proposal on EU and Member States ratification alongside legislative proposals for the Non-Traded Sector of the EU2030 Framework this summer.

Department of Health

Abortion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on conscientious objection for midwives asked to (a) advise on and (b) participate in abortions.

Jane Ellison: Section 4 of the Abortion Act provides that “no person shall be under any duty, whether by contract or by any statutory or other legal requirement, to participate in any treatment authorised by this Act to which he has a conscientious objection”. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that this is limited to those staff who actually take part in treatment administered in a hospital or other approved place and does not include ancillary, administrative and managerial tasks that might be associated with treatment.

Heart Diseases

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many heart valve replacements have been undertaken in the last five years for which figures are available; and whether those figures are comparable to France and Germany.

Jane Ellison: The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a main or secondary procedure for a heart valve replacement in England from 2010/11 to 2014/15 is shown in the table below: YearFCEs2010-1110,5432011-1211,3602012-1311,4342013-1412,1372014-1512,833 The Government does not hold comparable data for heart valve replacement in France and Germany.

Abortion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the introduction of abortion up to birth.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to review the current time limits for abortion.

Jane Ellison: The Abortion Act 1967 sets out that an abortion may be carried out after 24 weeks gestation only where: ― the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman Section 1(1)(b); or ― the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated Section 1(1)(c); or ― there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped Section 1(1)(d). In England and Wales it is accepted Parliamentary practice that proposals for changes to the Abortion Act come from backbench members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Government has no plans to review this legislation.

Blood: Donors

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of NHS blood donation services.

Jane Ellison: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is operationally responsible for providing a safe and reliable supply of blood, blood products and expertise to hospitals in England. Each year, donors voluntarily give around 1.7 million units of blood to ensure that hospitals receive the 6,000 blood donations they need every day, to treat patients. There has not been a shortage of blood for many years. NHSBT recruits around 200,000 new donors each year to replace those who can no longer donate for reasons such as ill health, pregnancy or foreign travel. To meet an on-going overall drop in demand but a more complex need for specific blood groups, NHSBT is increasing donation from O negative blood donors, A negative platelet donors and donors from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. To increase blood donation, NHSBT recently launched a BAME toolkit to be used by Members of Parliament seeking to increase blood and organ donors in their constituencies. The toolkit can be found at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i5d5f93ppiqys38/AAB_Q44nwfOiRFMYUx9qKlH8a?dl=0

Department of Health: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many visits by (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department were made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health and his team have visited the following in an official capacity in the last five years: The former Secretary of State (Mr Andrew Lansley)1 March 2012 University Hospital Coventry The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anna Soubry)16 October 2012 Coventry City Council The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Ellison)16 September 2014 Warwick University15 September 2015 Warwick University The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter)24 January 2013 University Hospital Coventry The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)18 April 2013 Warwick University16 September 2015 Warwick University Information on visits by officials is not routinely collected and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether healthcare professionals in Greater Manchester expressed support for the introduction of charging for (a) primary care and (b) emergency care in response to his Department's consultation, Making a fair contribution: consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

Alistair Burt: The Government is currently analysing responses to this consultation and will publish its response in due course.

Incontinence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS Supply Chain on that organisation's decision on the choice of urine drainage bags available through the NHS Core List Programme.

George Freeman: The NHS Supply Chain Core List Programme was developed in collaboration with NHS Business Services Authority and the Department. The Core List aims to achieve best value by reducing the range of like-for-like products that the National Health Service purchases. This allows the NHS to commit to larger volumes of a smaller range of products which in turn allows suppliers to provide improved prices to the NHS as greater economies of scale in manufacturing can be achieved. Items identified as ‘Core List’ have been reviewed and assessed by a selection of industry specialists, clinical advisors and customers. Products not included in the NHS Core List are not discontinued and are therefore still available for purchase via the wider NHS catalogue offered by NHS Supply Chain. Ultimately, decisions with regard to which urine drainage bag to purchase lies with the procurement team for each individual NHS trust.

Department of Health: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has assessed the effect on (a) patients and (b) patient choice of centralised procurement.

George Freeman: ‘Centralised procurement’ can sometimes be used to refer to the services of NHS Supply Chain. NHS Supply Chain offers a procurement and logistics service to all National Health Service trusts in the United Kingdom under a central service contract on behalf of NHS Business Services Authority.There is currently no centralised procurement model mandated to the NHS by the Department, and as such no assessment has been made as to an effect on patients or patient choice. NHS trusts may choose to utilise the service offering of NHS Supply Chain, or choose an alternative. It is for NHS trusts to make their own choices with regard to products and services they purchase; therefore it is for individual trusts to assess any impact on patients and patient choice.

Pharmacy

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will re-open the consultation on pharmacy dispensing models and displaying prices on medicines that closed on 17 May 2016 in order to allow respondents to take into account revised information on the safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing models.

Alistair Burt: The consultation on changes to medicines legislation including on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing did not rely on any specific safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing. Instead, the consultation document specifically asked consultees to provide evidence on the issue. Nevertheless, the responses to the consultation have raised issues around removing the bar on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing between retail pharmacies that are not part of the same business that the Department would like to explore in more detail with stakeholders’ representatives before progressing any legislation. It does not now envisage changes to the legislation on this issue commencing on 1 October 2016.

Health Education: Publications

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent the publication of books, papers and  other material containing health advice which does not have a sound evidence base; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: We have no plans to make such an assessment. The Department’s policies and advice are informed by the best available evidence.

Department of Health: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25 May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Clinical Audit: ICT

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to review and update NICE guidance to take account of emerging new technologies in electronic auditing.

George Freeman: Neither the Department nor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has any plans to do so.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Diagnosis

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of Ehlers-Danios Syndrome have been diagnosed in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: These data are not held centrally by the Department.Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a complex group of heritable disorders of connective tissue with an estimated prevalence of one in 20,000. As EDS appears in a variety of forms rates of diagnosis can be underestimated.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what compliance procedures the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has to ensure that its pharmacovigilance functions do not conflict with the relationships it builds with private companies when seeking business from such companies.

George Freeman: The requirements for the pharmacovigilance functions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are set out in European legislation through Directive 2010/84/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1235/2010 and in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. MHRA is required to carry out independent audits of these pharmacovigilance functions and report to the European Commission every two years. This is in addition to routine reporting to the Commission on Human Medicines.The requirements on private companies in the pharmaceutical industry that hold Marketing Authorisations for medicinal products are also set out in the same legislation and the MHRA carry out inspections to ensure these companies are compliant with the requirements. The MHRA has contact with pharmaceutical companies in its day to day business as necessary to fulfil the requirements of its pharmacovigilance functions.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency holds any clinical trial data for HPV vaccines which is not in the public domain.

George Freeman: There are two human papilloma virus vaccines licensed in the European Union: Cervarix and Gardasil 9. These products are licensed centrally throughout Europe by the European Commission via the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Applicants for centrally authorised products are required to submit all relevant supporting clinical trials data, whether published or not, to the EMA directly and not to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Under current medicines legislation, the EMA database registers all EU-approved clinical trials of investigational medicinal products. Since March 2011 this information has been publicly accessible through the EU Clinical Trials Register (except adult Phase 1 trials). The EU Clinical Trials Register includes all EU-conducted trials since May 2004 when the Clinical Trials Directive was implemented and can be found here: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search Furthermore since July 2014 clinical trial sponsors have been required to provide a summary of their trial results uploaded onto the EU Clinical Trials Register within one year of their trial completing. There is a two year programme of back-loading underway to provide summaries of trial results for all trials on the Register back to when the EudraCT database was initiated in May 2004.

Neuroendocrine Cancer

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the use of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatments to target carcinoid tumours.

George Freeman: Information on the peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatments funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) is shown in the table. It is not known for what type of cancer these treatments have been provided.  Number of patients treated in 2011/121Number of patients treated in 2012/131Number of CDF notifications 2013/142Number of CDF notifications 2014/152Number of CDF notifications 2015/16 (to Sept) 2Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (to include Lutetium-177 or Yttrium-90 octreotide analogues)491171522291161 Source: Strategic Health Authority returns to the Department of Health2 Source: NHS England Information on the number of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatments provided outside of the CDF is not collected.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the Lutathera drug was removed from the list of drugs available under the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (including Luththera) for the treatment of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours was removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund in November 2015 on the grounds that it represented insufficient value for retention within the Fund.NHS England’s full decision summary is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/cancer/cdf/cdf-drug-sum/

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Drugs

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to findings presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress on Lutathera, what assessment he has made of the reported benefits of that drug on treating patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

George Freeman: The clinical research findings on Lutathera, presented to the European Cancer Congress, have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop technology appraisal guidance on lutetium-177 dotatate for the treatment of unresectable, somatostatin receptor-positive, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. NICE’s guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through wide consultation with stakeholders.

Women and Equalities

Women and Equality Unit: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from the Government Equalities Office circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: Copies of the Government's published documents on the Referendum are available in the Libraries of both Houses. It is not normal practice to publish letters to members of the public and stakeholders. Costs relating to the Referendum will be accounted for in the usual way in Annual Report and Accounts.

Gender Recognition

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has discussed with the Prison Service and probation services the recommendations of the Women and Equalities Committee in its First Report of Session 2015-16, on Transgender Equality, HC390, relating to the criminal justice system and prisons.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government welcomes the report from the Women and Equalities Select Committee into transgender equality.The report provides a number of recommendations, including ones on hate crime and prison and probation services. Government (including the Ministry of Justice) is carefully considering these recommendations.In addition, on 8 December 2015 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Family Justice I announced a review of the care and management of transgender offenders. The review is being coordinated by the Ministry of Justice who are engaging with others to ensure that staff in prisons and probation are provided with the best possible guidance. The National Offender Management Service, the Youth Justice Board, the NHS and the Government Equalities Office are providing professional and operational expertise. The revised guidelines will be published in due course.Further information on the review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/review-into-the-care-and-management-of-transgender-offenders.

Restaurants: Guide Dogs

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if her will estimate the number of times people with guide dogs have been refused entry to restaurants in each of the last five years; and what steps she is taking to ensure that people with guide dogs are not refused such entry.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government provides legal protection to people with guide dogs. The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers, including restaurants, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers, including those with assistance dogs. The Act also prohibits discrimination arising from disability where, for instance, a blind person is denied access to a restaurant, not because they are blind, but because they have a guide dog with them. We do not collect figures on the number of times people with guide dogs are refused entry to restaurants. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published guidance for businesses on this matter (https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/what_equality_law_means_for_your_business.pdf). Also, people who use guide dogs can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Services for free advice if they have any concerns about being denied access to restaurants because they have a guide dog. Where a disabled person considers that they have been unjustifiably refused entry to a restaurant with their guide or assistance dog, they can complain to the owners of the restaurant and ultimately take action against the restaurant in the County Court.